Adjustable protective frame.



Patented April 26, 1904.

. UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

AUGUSTUS L. o. MARSH, or PLAINFIELD, NEw JnRsEY.

ADJUSTABLE PROTECTIVE. FRAME.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 758,372, dated April 26, 1904.

Application filed July 24, 1903. Serial No. 166,808. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, AUGUSTUS L. C. MARSH, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of Plainfield, in the county of Union and State objects is to provide a protective frame in whichthe size of the opening may be adjusted or varied within wide limits for'the purpose of permitting said frame to be applied to the part to be operated upon and such operation confined to the area inclosed by the opening in the frame.

Specifically, the principal object of the protective frame illustrated in this case is to confine the operation of cleaning or bufling a given article or surface to the area bounded by the inner edges of the frame-that is to say, to confine such operation to the area of said opening. v

An important application of the device constituting the subject-matter of this invention is its use as a protective device or guard for preventing the marring of any portion of the surface outside the area bounded by the inner edges of the frameas, for example, in cleaning escutcheons and other articles which may require to be polished from time to time. In cleaning such articles it is well known that the pomade or other polishing substance is frequently rubbed on the woodwork as well as on the metal, and the wood surrounding the escutcheon or other part is frequently badly marred or stained, particularly when the cleaning substance contains gritty particles, oils, A protective de- &c., as is usually the case. vice of this type is especially adapted for protecting such an article during the cleaning.

In the drawings accompanying this specification and forming part ofthe present appli cation, Figure 1 is a plan of an adjustable frame embodyingmy invention and illustrates in full and dotted lines, respectively, two positions of the parts for inclosing articles or surfaces of different sizes or areas. Fig. 2 is a similar view illustrating a modificationof the invention. Fig. 3 is an enlarged sectional detail of a portion of the modification shown in Fig. 2.

Similar characters designate the figures of the drawings.

My invention is embodied in any protective device in which an adjustable frame is formed by a plurality of frame-pieces capable of adjustment for varying the size of the opening in the frame; but it will preferably comprise a pair of complementary frame-pieces, which may be relatively wide and thin and which like parts in all will be adjustable to vary the size of the open- I ing included by them. These two complemene tary frame-pieces are also preferably rectangular, and when so made a square or oblong opening of any dimensions within the limits of the frame-pieces may be formed to correspond to the requirements of the work to be done.

Whatever the particular construction may be in which the invention is embodied the elements of the frame will preferably be so constructedas to be easily connectible to form a stiff frame, and myinvention embodies an ad-- justable frame in'which the frame-pieces are in frictional sliding engagement with each other for the purpose of varying the areaof the opening and correspondingly varyingthe shorter arm, preferably at a right angle thereto, of considerably greater width than the long arm. Each of these short arms. 3 may be so formed as to provide a means of connection with and adjustment relative to the long arm of the other or complementary frame-piece, and when it is made of sheet material the necessary means of connection and adjustment may be provided by slitting the short arm of the frame-piece and expanding the material depthwise, substantially in the manner of expanded metal lathing and similar articles. In order to hold the coacting arm of the complementary frame-piece firmly, each of these arms which is so cut and expanded will preferably be slitted along two substantially parallel lines, such as 4 and 5, and that part of the arm 3 which is between said slits and is designated by 6 will be expanded relatively to the remainder of such arm to form a guideway through which the coacting end of the complementary frame-piece may be passed and in which such coacting element may work. The expanded portion 6 of each arm 3 and the portions outside of the lines 4; and 5 will exert sufficient tension on the arms 2, which are passed through the guideways formed in the arms 3 and are interlocked therewith to hold the arms 2 firmly in position, while permitting them to slide in frictional engagement with the various portions of the arms 3 whenever it is desired to change the adjustment and vary the size of the opening in the frame.

In order to facilitate the adjustment of the frame to a new position in which the opening in the frame shall be perfectly regular, particularly when the frame is made up of complementary rectangular pieces and the opening must be either a square or an oblong, I prefer to provide at the inner edges of the frame-pieces scales, such as 7 and 8, having similar graduations, by means of which it may be instantly determined whether the four cornizrs of the frame-opening are true right ang es.

Although the adjustable frame shown in Fig. 1 is made up of parts which are capable of maintaining any desired position in which these parts may be set, yet it may be desirable. for some purposes to provide additional means for positively securing the parts together and preventing change in' the. adjustment thereof. For this reason I have shown in Figs. 2 and 3 a modification of the invention in Whichthe frame-pieces 2 2 are exactly the same as in Fig. 1, but are positively secured in their adjusted position by suitable holding means. The holding means may be of any suitable construction and may be employed at one point only in the frame or at diagonal points, as may be desired. The device shown is illustrated, however, as clamping the parts together at one corner only of the frame and is in the form of a slide 9, mounted on one'of the long arms 2 outside screw 11.

the short arm 3 of the complementaryframepiece and having an extension 10 of sufficient length to project over the struck-up or expanded portion 6 of the short arm 3 of the complementary member of the frame. When in its clamping position, the end of the slide proper is preferably in contact with the outer edge of the arm 3 of the complementary member of the frame and is secured to the long arm 2 of its own member by means of a clamp- A similar clamping-screw 12 in the extended portion 10 of the slide serves to engage the expanded portion 6 of the framepiece 3 of the complementary member and hold both members of the frame firmly together. This holding device, it will be seen, admits of the clamping of the two members of the frame together with the slide at any point in the length of the arm 2 of its own member and with a clamp-screw 12 engag 5 ing the expanded portion 6 of the complementary memberat any point in the length thereof without presenting any unnecessary openings through which the polish or other substance may be brought in contact with a portion of the surface outside of that to be operated upon or cleaned.

What I claim is 1. A protective device of the class specified, comprising an adjustable frame made up of frame-pieces in frictional sliding engagement with each other for varying thesize of the opening in the frame. A

2. A protective device of the class specified, comprising an adjustable frame made up of complementary frame-pieces one of which is adjustable in two directions relatively to the other for varying the size of the opening in the frame.

3. An adjustable frame consisting of framepieces in frictional sliding engagement with each other in two directions transverse to each other for varying-the size of the opening in the frame.

4. An adjustable frame consisting of interlocking strips of sheet material in sliding engagement with each other for varying the size of the openingin the frame.

5. An adjustable frame consisting of strips ofsheet material slitted and interlocked-in sliding engagement with each other for varying the size of the opening in the frame.

6. An adjustable frame'consisting of a pair of interlocking angular frame-pieces of sheet material in sliding engagement with each other for varying the size of the opening in the frame.

7. An adjustable frame consisting of a pair of interchangeable rectangular frame-pieces of sheet material slidingly interlocked for varying the size of the opening in the frame one arm of each rectangular frame-piecebeing slitted along substantially parallel lines and expanded depthwise to form a guideway for the other arm of the other frame-piece.

8. An adjustable frame consisting of frame pieces in frictional sliding engagement with each other for varying the size of the opening in the frame, and means for holding said frame-pieces in any adjusted position,

9. An adjustable frame consisting of a pair of interchangeable rectangular frame-pieces of sheet material slidingly interlocked for varying the size of the openingin the frame,

1 I and sliding holding means on said frame for locking the frame-pieces in any adjusted posi tion.

Signed at New-York, in the county of New York and State of New York, this 21st day of July, A. D. 1903.

AUGUSTUS L. e. MARSH.

WVitnesses:

C. S. CHAMPION, R. CHAMPION. 

